Team,
this is going to the KEY to getting the best results from the gym.
By picking the right weights that challenge you, you will gain more muscle mass and muscle tone. This is what we want to achieve a trim toned look with our smooth muscles showing off instead of the flab.
The more muscle you have on your body the more calories you will burn therefore burning more fat.
More muscle = more fat burned = a lean muscle toned body = a new you!
So how do we know what weights to use?
Everybody is starting at different points in this process, so there isn’t a set weight in the programme.
The foundation of any 1st workout in the gym is really finding your feet with the right weights to use.
Here are some top tips.
The set number of repetitions is your goal to get to without dropping the weight.
If that number is 8 reps. The way to make sure you are using the muscles and changing your body is that you must find a weight where rep 6 is a struggle, rep 7 is tough, rep 8 is the toughest without losing form and if you attempted 9 reps you wouldn’t be able too.
If you an get to 8 reps easily it’s time to up the weights.
If you think you can get to 10 reps with a certain weight it’s time to increase the weights you are using.
It is the same concept in phase 2 – strength.
The reps are 5.
The aim is get to that fifth rep without dropping the weight, but WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
You will be lifting heavier weights to get to that struggle part of the set.
If it is the 1st time you are doing a move with a heavy weight that you have not used before ask for a friend or a staff member to help you out and watch for safety.
Consistent Progression:-
Once you get to a place where you find the weights you are using easy. You should increase your weights by 2.5kg at least.
The reason to Increase in weights in this way is you will overload the muscles and make them work harder to get the results you want quicker.
The Science behind building and toning your muscles.
The stress you put on your muscles will help them grow, how does this work?
When you challenge your muscles in new way by lifting an object heavier than you normally would or repeat lifting a load, your muscle fibres slightly tear. The brain tells the body that the muscles need to grow to be able to lift that kind of load/weight again so send the right nutrients to the torn muscle fibres that fill in the small tears like filling in a crack in a wall. Therefore making more muscle fibres and making the muscles bigger and stronger.
The effect of the small tears around 24 hours after working out is known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and you may slightly ache the day or two after a workout.
DOMS will be present after some workouts but as you get fitter and stronger and your body learns to recover quicker by you reacting the right foods and getting enough sleep. There will be days that you ma not have any DOMS. That is okay! You are not chasing 6 weeks of soreness because you should be able to come back the next day and workout! Not be laying in bed feeling sore!
Make sure you challenge your muscles in the right way for the right growth! That is how you will transform your body!
- Chris
Comments